Porridge

ONE POEM – Nora Selmani

Image: Dhimitër Vangjeli – The village of Prodan near the Greek border, birthplace of the photographer. Kolonja, Albania via albanianphotography.net Nora Selmani lives in London and works in academic publishing. She is also co-editor of Porridge, and a part-time witch interested in gender and diaspora. Her work has appeared in Peach Mag, O GOCE, OCCULUM, and Sea Foam amongst others. She…

FLASH FICTION – J.A. Pak

Image: elin o’Hara slavick. J.A. Pak’s writing has been published in a variety of publications, including 7×7, Unbroken Journal, Joyland, Queen Mob’s Teahouse, Luna Luna and Atticus Review. For more work, take a look here. Concentric In mid dream, mid journey, there’s a barrier we must cross, flat and vast like an ocean. We’re told the barrier is a monster….

Air transport, carbon emissions, and capitalism – Muntazir Jaffer

Image: Fighting for Air, Amazing Productions, 2018 Muntazir Jaffer is a boutique cosmetics designer with a focus on sustainability in personal care. After graduating with from the University of Birmingham with a MEng in Chemical Engineering, he was baffled by the minimal adoption of green technology across the UK and now rants continuously about sustainable…

SHORT STORY: LOBSTER TAILS – Georgia Tindale

Georgia Tindale is an assistant editor working in Amsterdam and co-editor of Porridge Magazine. Her primary interests include poetry, science writing, health and society, history, religion and postcolonial studies. Her poems have been published and are upcoming in Sunlight Press and Laurel Magazine. She tweets @tindale_georgia. Lobster Tails Polunsky Unit If you had to choose the last meal you…

TWO POEMS – Ian C Smith

Image: Charles Conder, Bronte, Queen’s Birthday (1888) Ian C Smith’s work has appeared in, Antipodes, Australian Book Review, Australian Poetry Journal, Critical Survey, Prole, The Stony Thursday Book, & Two-Thirds North. His seventh book is wonder sadness madness joy, Ginninderra (Port Adelaide). He writes in the Gippsland Lakes area of Victoria, and on Flinders Island,…

Edward Hopper and the Suspension of Loneliness in Time – Umang Kalra

Image: Edward Hopper – Room in New York (1932) via edwardhopper.net Umang Kalra’s work appears or is forthcoming in Glass: A Journal of Poetry, VAYAVYA, Moonchild Magazine, Vagabond City, and others. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in History from Trinity College, Dublin, and has previously been mentored in poetry by Doireann Ní Ghríofa. Edward…

ONE POEM – Kwan Ann Tan

Image: Nancy Spero – Lovers (1962) © Estate of Nancy Spero. DACS, London/VAGA, New York 2018 Kwan Ann Tan is a 19 year old Malaysian currently studying at Oxford University. Her work has been featured in places such as Hypertrophic Literary and Half Mystic, and she also serves as the Roots Fiction Editor at Rambutan Literary….

POETRY REVIEW: straya by Paul Summers – Malcolm St Hill

Malcolm St Hill lives in Newcastle, Australia and is a poet, reviewer and independent researcher focused on the literary memory of the Great War, particularly the work of Australian soldier-poets. This is a modified version of a review which appeared in Rochford Street Review in December 2017. straya by Paul Summers (Smokestack Books, 2017) The term…

PHOTOGRAPHY – Joseph Birdsey

Joseph Birdsey is a writer and photographer who lives and works in London. He studied English at Goldsmiths, University of London, graduating in 2012. His poems have been published in ‘Myths of the Near Future’ (NAWE Young Writers’ Hub), Porridge Magazine, and by The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network. He tweets as @flaregun.’ And looking back…

FLASH FICTION – Andy Cashmore

Image: Georgia O’Keeffe, Train at Night in the Desert (1916), © 2018 (The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York) Andy Cashmore has had flash fiction published in numerous places, including the National Flash Fiction Day Anthology 2014 and The Harpoon Review. He participated in a writing project called Writing Begets Writing, where he…

ART- Sarah Jilani

Sarah Jilani is a British/Turkish freelance writer and PhD student in postcolonial literatures at The University of Cambridge. She has written on contemporary art, film and books for publications including The Economist, The Times Literary Supplement, ArtReview, and The Independent. A self-taught painter, she has exhibited in Istanbul (2014) and York (2011), and her artwork…

TWO POEMS – Jen Rouse

Image: Hannah Höch – Fashion Show (1925-35) (detail) Jen Rouse’s poems have appeared in Poetry, The Inflectionist Review, Midwestern Gothic, the CDC Poetry Project, Parentheses, Anti-Heroin Chic, Crab Fat Magazine, Up the Staircase, and elsewhere. She was named a finalist for the Mississippi Review 2018 Prize Issue and was the winner of the 2017 Gulf Stream Summer Contest Issue. Rouse’s…

ONE POEM – Ed Garvey-Long

Image: Jackson Pollock, Number 1, 1948 Ed Garvey-Long is a poet from North London who enjoys cross stitch and contemporary art. He tweets under the name @eddus.

PHOTOGRAPHY – Deborah Sibbald

Deborah Sibbald lives in London where she works as a social worker for the NHS. She studied photography at John Cass and writes poetry, some of which has begun to appear in various publications. These photographs are a few of many from several series of ” involuntary paintings” taken whilst walking in London.

SHORT STORY – Anita Goveas

Image: Louise Bourgeois, Lacs de Montagne (1997) Anita Goveas is British-Asian, based in London, and fueled by strong coffee and paneer jalfrezi. She lurks in libraries and her local independent bookshop, Bookseller Crow. She was first published in the 2016 London Short Story Prize anthology, most recently in Pocket Change, Haverthorn, Moonchild Magazine, Riggwelter Press, Anti-Heroin Chic, former cactus mag…

FIVE POEMS – Erin Taylor

Image: Ruth Asawa – Untitled, from ‘Flowers’ (1965) Erin Taylor is an American poet whose work has been featured at LAMBDA Literary, Cosmonauts Avenue, Scum Mag, and more. More of her work can be found at erintaylor.tumblr.com and she tweets at @erinisaway. Two of these poems were printed in Porridge’s first print issue available here. a love poem to…

ONE POEM – Joanna Lee

Image: Natalia Goncharova – Cats (rayist percep.[tion] in rose, black, and yellow) (1913) Joanna Lee is a recent English graduate adjusting to life in London. Her work has appeared in notes, daikon* and FLY. She currently works at Faber & Faber. Sonnet We drift unmoored through evenings & metaphors traverse layers of unexpected familiarity in the fading illuminations of narrative…

THREE POEMS – Joseph Birdsey

Image: Mamma Andersson, Dick Bengtsson 2015 (originally published 1983) Joseph Birdsey is a writer and photographer who lives and works in London. He studied English at Goldsmiths, University of London, graduating in 2012. His poems have been published in ‘Myths of the Near Future’ (NAWE Young Writers’ Hub) and by The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network….

ART – SEIGAR

SEIGAR is an English philologist, a high school teacher, and a curious photographer. He is a fetishist for reflections, saturated colours, details and religious icons. He feels passion for pop culture that shows in his work. He has participated in several exhibitions and his works have also been featured in international publications. SEIGAR’s artwork can…

Three datapoems – James Stone

James Stone founded www.poetryindata.com to explore science and technology through visual poetry. He likes data and poetry because they pack a lot of meaning into a small space. James’ poetry can also be found in our first print issue, which is available for purchase here. Mercury Rising The failure to tackle climate change is not a failure of science,…

SHORT STORY – Flying Solo: Jessica Bonder

Image: Painting by the LA-based artist, Kelly Reemtsen. Jessica Bonder is an American fiction writer. She has published short stories in The Stockholm Review, The Lonely Crowd, STORGY Magazine, Split Lip Magazine, Black Heart Magazine, The Writing Disorder, and The Cabinet of Heed, among others. Her website is jessicabonder.com and you can tweet her @jessbonder. Flying Solo A large man bearing a bouquet…

TWO POEMS – Anas Hassan

Image: Georgia O’Keeffe – Abstraction Blue (1927) Anas Hassan’s first collection, Bibi, Are You Living?, was published by Eyewear in 2017. His poems have appeared in magazines including Amaryllis; Ink, Sweat & Tears; Snakeskin; The Interpreter’s House and Under the Radar. He has performed at venues including Vortex Dalston (‘Words and Jazz’, EFG London…

ART – Kuukua Wilson

Kuukua Wilson is a Ghanaian-American Painter and Scientific Illustrator based in the United States and the Netherlands. Her creative works focus mainly on storytelling about the intricate complexities of life. She delves into topics ranging from cultural ideals, beauty, nature, and the human experience. She uses her works to share her understanding of life. More can…

ONE POEM – Katie Paterson

Image: Louise Bourgeois – Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu (1997) Katie Paterson is currently an MA student at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. She’s also a writer and spoken word artist. Dressing Gown I’m putting on your dressing gown I will not ask you first it’s not our only intimacy but it speaks of something more than…

TWO POEMS – Sneha Subramanian Kanta

Image: Susan Rothernberg – Limbo (2009-10) Sneha Subramanian Kanta is a GREAT scholarship awardee, and has earned a second postgraduate degree in literature from England. Her work is forthcoming in In/Words Magazine, The Ofi Press, Bombus Press and elsewhere. She is the founding editor of Parentheses Journal, an international literary journal. Her chapbook Synecdoche is forthcoming with The…

To what extent has the welfare state changed since 1970? – Erinda Selmani

Image via Wikipedia Erinda Selmani is a first year student at LSE whose interests include social inequality and global development. She’s also a keen linguist with a passion for French. To what extent has the welfare state changed since 1970? This essay aims to explore the extent to which the welfare state has changed since…

The Illusion of Distance – Jack Crowe

Image: Richard Hamilton, Interior, 1965. Jack Crowe is a graduate with a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Birmingham. He performs as a poet across the UK, and otherwise writes in his far too voluminous spare time. His website is jackcrowejackcrowe.co.uk. The Illusion of Distance When Dennis Kimetto broke the marathon world record in Berlin in 2014, he set off from…

PHOTOGRAPHY: MEMORY – Lucy Jane Purrington

Lucy Jane Purrington graduated with a first honours degree in Photographic Arts from the University of South Wales and is known for her video, performative and photographic work. These photographs by Lucy also appear in the inaugural print issue of Porridge which is available for purchase here. Memory is fluid. Influenced by time, perspective and place. We are made of…

ICELANDIC PHOTOGRAPHY – Saman Izadyar

Saman Izadyar is a Psychology graduate from Cardiff University. He likes to think of himself as an amateur photographer and writer, with a huge passion for music and art (in particular video games). He formerly edited for Quench magazine and sporadically writes posts on his blog at www.MisanthropicPhilanthropy.com. These photographs by Saman also appear in the inaugural…

POETRY – Elden Morrow

Image: Joe Bradley, Untitled from 5 Lithographs, 2015 Elden Morrow is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham – BA in English with Creative Writing – and is returning there to do an MA. He loves poetry and music that always appears to withhold something – lyrics that use understatement or humour to mask…

SHORT STORY – Dustin Heron

Image: Richard Lindner, ‘Poet from Fun City’, 1971, lithograph, MOMA. Dustin Heron holds an MA and an MFA from San Francisco State University. His work has appeared most recently in Watershed Review and Craft Literary, and is forthcoming from Occulum, Fictive Dream, and Ghost Parachute. His stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best…

TWO POEMS – Stallion Dunquis

Image: Georgia O’Keeffe – Ram’s Head, White Hollyhock and Little Hills, 1935 Stallion Dunquis is a poet & modern troubadour based in New York City and Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Untitled No rest until the final rest in fire Cold showers and a laugh at discomfort Sleep an hour, cut my hair with…

ONE POEM – Bradley Samore

Image: Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum – Quadra 04, 2016 Bradley Samore currently lives in North Carolina and is a high school English teacher. His writing has been featured in various publications including West Texas Literary Review, Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, and SLAB Literary Magazine. Heat Lightning Out of the house and into the night flashes distract…

The Church on the Hill – Robert Boucheron

Robert Boucheron grew up in Syracuse and Schenectady, NY. He has worked as an architect in New York City and Charlottesville, VA. His short stories and essays appear in Bangalore Review, Fiction International, The Fiction Pool, Litro, London Journal of Fiction, New Haven Review, Short Fiction. The Church on the Hill A bell tolls the hours. It carries…

The use of machines in Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ – Dong Liu

Dong Liu is a postgraduate in British and American Literature from Beihang University in Beijing. She is interested in fiction, psychology and cross-cultural communication. The use of machines in Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ In Death of a Salesman, the most successful of Arthur Miller’s plays, Miller insightfully foresees the negative effects that the…

An interview with Lisa Tindale

The quaint fishing village of Staithes on the North East coast will host the 6th annual Art and Heritage Festival over September 9th and 10th. The village was once home to a group of 20 to 30 artists known as the Staithes Group of Artists and the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat, starring Bernard Cribbins, was filmed there. Staithes will…

POETRY – Umang Kalra

Image: Frida Kahlo – The Wounded Deer, 1946 Umang Kalra’s poems have previously appeared in Blue Marble Review, Quail Bell Magazine, VAYAVYA, Esthesia Magazine, and Coldnoon. She has previously served on the Masthead of Inklette Magazine, and is currently involved in a year-long mentorship programme with Doireann Ní Ghríofa for women of colour in Ireland….

POETRY – Elden Morrow

Image: Yayoi Kusama – I Want to Live Honestly, Like the Eye in the Picture, 2009 Elden Morrow is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham – BA in English with Creative Writing – and is returning there to do an MA. He loves poetry and music that always appears to withhold something – lyrics…

POETRY – Chavonne Brown

Image: Jean-Michel Basquiat – Bird on Money, 1981 Chavonne Brown lives in Birmingham. He is soon to be a Creative Writing MA student at the University of Birmingham. A number of his stage plays have produced for the theatre and he hopes to do further work for the stage. He currently writes for The Unapologists…

The Loneliest Drag King – Johnny Jupiter

Image: Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria (1982) Johnny Jupiter aka Ar Booth is a trainee History teacher from Bradford. They studied History and Politics at University of Birmingham and did their undergraduate dissertation on the political subversiveness of drag kings while their MA dissertation was on the political subversiveness of female stand up comics. Johnny has performed…

ONE POEM – Samantha Emily Evans

Samantha Emily Evans is an Anglo-American writer living and working in London. She is a member of the European Beat Studies Network and is always on the move. She works at SAGE Publishing as a marketing assistant. Her poems have been publishing in The Ogilvie, Inklight Creative Writing Journal, Moorpark College Review, and others. She blogs…